It's Magic - Joey Slatner

April 05, 1990|By MELANIE S. HATTER Staff Writer

Joey Slatner, 13, was not interested in learning how to juggle, but his cousin, not wanting to go alone, insisted he attend free classes at a library. That was three years ago, and since then his cousin dropped out but Joey stuck with it.

In a flash he produces a dove from flames and juggles almost anything, from pens to scarves. His magic and juggling act, complete with an assistant, won first place in a local Share-the-Fun 4-H contest last month. He will perform at the 4-H District Presentation Contest April 7 at Bruton High School in York County.

The magical element began when he received a magic set as a Christmas gift a year before he learned to juggle. "It's a release, relaxing; like some people play sports, this is what I do," says Joey, an eighth-grader at Lindsay Middle School. He enjoys the slight-of-hand trick where he makes coins disappear in his hand.

He says it takes a lot of practice in showmanship and took him two years to actually perfect his show. "You have to really believe in the trick to make others believe in it.

"Some people don't like magic because they think you're trying to trick them. They're more impressed by the juggling. But it took me longer to get the slight-of-hand trick than juggling balls."

At first, he performed only for family and didn't enter a competition until last September, when he placed third at the State Fair in a 4-H Follies talent contest. "I did real bad. It was my first time in front of more than half a dozen people. I was real scared," he says.

The hardest part is mixing the two elements together to make them work as one complete show. He doesn't know of anyone else in the Hampton Roads area who mixes juggling with magic.

Magic and juggling will remain a hobby for him. "People say that when your hobby becomes your career, it's not fun anymore. Maybe I can use it to make extra money while in high school and college."

Joey's goal is to be a diplomat, representing his country around the world.